10. Tenkasi Teacher Uses Astronomy Projection, Trains Over 50 Teachers and Organises 1,330 Seed Balls

Rural Development Today | Development Connects | Tamil Nadu | 12 October 2026

At Panchayat Union Primary School in Puliyampatti, Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu, teacher M. Thangaraj uses a projector, smart television and activity-based teaching materials for classroom lessons. A report published on 12 October 2026 describes a projected astronomy lesson showing pupils constellations and the Milky Way.

Thangaraj has worked as a teacher for more than 20 years and received the National Teachers' Award in September 2026. His school uses pupil roles associated with education, health, agriculture and food management. Activities include tending vegetables in a school garden, checking classroom hygiene, monitoring learning progress and reducing food waste.

The report states that he has shared his teaching approaches with more than 50 teachers in neighbouring education unions. It also describes a coin exhibition, a robotics exhibition conducted with college students and an environmental activity in which pupils prepared and distributed 1,330 seed balls in agricultural fields.

Parents, former pupils, local organisations and other supporters have helped provide learning equipment and activities. The documented quantitative activities are teacher-training outreach and seed-ball preparation. The report does not provide test-score comparisons, changes in attendance or measured learning gains attributable to the teaching methods.

Original source: The New Indian Express | https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2026/Oct/12/class-of-its-own-beyond-the-four-walls

Cover: editorial watercolor illustration. Created by Kallol Saha for Development Connects.